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FAO Representation in Bangladesh May 2011 Bangladesh and FAO Achievements and success stories

Bangladesh and FAO Achievements and success … and FAO Achievements and success stories. ... FAO was one of the first international agencies to extend a ... National Food Policy Plan

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FAO Representation in BangladeshMay 2011

Bangladesh and FAOAchievements and success stories

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression ofany opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerningthe legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitationof its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not thesehave been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to othersof a similar nature that are not mentioned.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or othernon-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders providedthe source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercialpurposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should beaddressed to:ChiefElectronic Publishing Policy and Support BranchCommunication DivisionFAOViale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italyor by e-mail to:[email protected]

© FAO 2011

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Introduction

The challenging country context

Bangladesh joined FAO on 12 November 1973 within two years of gaining its independence from Pakistan. Sincethat time, Bangladesh and FAO have worked closely together in the areas of agriculture, food, forestry, fisheries,

livestock, rural development and climate change. These efforts were strengthened with the establishment of the FAORepresentative Office in Dhaka in 1978.

Bangladesh is home to the most densely populated flood-plain delta in the world. It regularly suffers from naturaldisasters such as floods, cyclones and drought. It is also vulnerable to the growing effects of global climate change. Butwhen faced with adversity, the country, especially its farmers and fishers, is extremely resilient.

In the immediate post-independence period, FAO was one of the first international agencies to extend a considerableamount of assistance to Bangladesh to support relief and rehabilitation, as well as national efforts for economic recoveryand reconstruction, and – on the other hand – Bangladesh has contributed significantly to FAO initiatives, commissions,committees and working panels.

Bangladesh has had some success in reducing its numbers of hungry people. The population has increased from about75 million at independence to about 150 million now. More than 40 million Bangladeshis – 27 percent of the population– are undernourished by FAO’s definition – not having access to adequate amounts of safe, nutritious food to sustaina healthy and productive life. In the early 1990s, about 45 million, or 38 percent of the population was hungry.

However, even with the impressive development of the agriculture sector in recent decades, undernutrition hasremained a challenge largely because of rapid population growth and dwindling land resources. Today, the situation isbeing exacerbated by stresses such as climate change and the global increase in the prices of food, fuel and fertilizer.

Bangladesh is struggling to strengthen itsinstitutions and programmes so it will havethe capacity to cope with natural disasters,environmental change and populationgrowth. Though the future impact of climatechange is still uncertain, Bangladesh ispreparing for the likely eventualities ofincreasingly serious weather-related events.FAO is incorporating responses to thesegrowing concerns in its cooperativedevelopment initiatives.

Over the last 30 plus years, the country wasserved by dedicated FAO teams.

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1. Analytical summary

Bangladesh has tripled its rice production in the last40 years, from 10 million metric tonnes (mt) in 1971

to over 32 million mt today. More than 5.1 millionhectares of land are irrigated, which is more than fourtimes the area in 1990. Modern rice varieties have beenintroduced on 75 percent of the total area growing rice.Though agriculture only accounts for 20 percent of thegross domestic product (GDP), it employs more than60 percent of the labour force, providing income to therural population, which makes up about 75 percent ofthe total population of Bangladesh. FAO’s technicalassistance has been instrumental in helping the countryachieve this progress.

1.1 Comprehensive approach towardsincreasing agricultural production

Both in terms of institutional transformation andknowledge transfer, FAO has been working to improveagricultural production in Bangladesh through itstechnical support programmes. Some of the organiza-tion’s more notable contributions are:

• Development of agro-ecological zones (AEZ)database and installation of a geographicinformation system (GIS);

• Technical support to establish the Soil ResourcesDevelopment Institute (SRDI), including its soilsurvey and soil analytical programmes;

• Transformation of the Directorate of Agriculture(extension and management) into the newDepartment of Agricultural Extension (DAE);

• Support for the development and modification ofagricultural extension systems and technical trainingprogrammes for extension staff and farmers throughthe farmers field school (FFS) programme;

• Transition to irrigated agriculture by testing anddemonstrating minor irrigation schemes;

• Cereal technology transfer;

• Integrated pest management (IPM);

• Improvement of household food security;

• Utilization of plant genetic resources for food andagriculture;

• Disaster preparedness and adaptation to climatechange.

1.2 Sustainable food security and adaptationto climate change

FAO has long supported Bangladesh’s efforts to achievesustainable food security. Bangladesh approved theNational Food Policy Plan of Action (2008-2015), whichestablished a strategic orientation in food securityplanning. Special care has been taken to align theNational Food Policy with Bangladesh’s overalldevelopment strategy. The Plan of Action recommendsa set of policy targets and indicators to monitor progressin the implementation of the National Food Policy.Additionally, FAO is now implementing a substantial foodsafety programme that will build regulatory anddiagnostic capacity to ensure safe food for all.

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Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change,and efforts to achieve food security must take intoconsideration the projected threat of climate changeevents. The country’s farmers have developed resilienceto natural disasters, which has been complemented byFAO programmes and technical assistance that hasincreased significantly since 2003. The success of FAO’sadaptation programmes has been acknowledged by thegovernment and the donor community and forms theframework for long-term, future interventions.

1.3 Development of fisheries

Fisheries products, especially shrimp, are Bangladesh’ssecond largest export after textiles. FAO has providedsupport to develop both aquaculture and capturefisheries, and to reform fishing policies. The majorinterventions include:

• Strengthening rural pond fish culture extension;

• Sea surveys;

• The Bay of Bengal Programme (BoBP), which identifiesovercapacity, destructive fishing gear and the extentof damage being caused to fishery resources;

• UNDP/FAO programme, Empowering Coastal FishingCommunities (ECFC), aimed at changing attitudes,empowering and encouraging direct participation ofcommunities in coastal resource management;

• FAO actively supported the formulation andimplementation of an HACCP-based (hazard analysisand critical control points) fish quality-assuranceprogramme for fisheries products.

1.4 Development of the livestock and dairysectors

Improved production of milk, meat and eggs is a pressingneed for Bangladesh to ensure food security. FAO hasbeen involved in livestock and dairy work since mid-1970.FAO has provided technical assistance to two projectsthat played an important catalytic role in the dairy andpoultry sub-sectors during the 1970s and 1980s: Milk Vitacooperative dairy projects (1976-1986), and the Poultrydevelopment project (1978-1984).

FAO provided technical assistance in the 1970s and 1980sto establish the successful Milk Vita dairy cooperative. TheMilk Vita dairy model has been adapted for use by manyorganizations. Technicians and staff trained under thedairy projects are now in every dairy enterprise inBangladesh.

The successful implementation of the Community livestockand dairy development project (CLDDP) helped put thedairy sub-sector in Bangladesh in a unique position totake advantage of the recent rise in the price of importeddairy products, especially milk powder, by substitutingimports with domestically produced milk.

Working with the Bangladesh government, FAOdeveloped short-term, tailor-made training courses at theSavar Dairy Farm of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestockfor people and organizations involved in milk production,collection, processing and marketing to improveefficiency, quality and safety throughout the farm-to-consumer milk chain.

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FAO has also been very active in combatingtransboundary animal diseases in Bangladesh. Since theinitial outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in March 2007,a total of 367 H5N1 outbreaks occurred and 1.9 millionbirds were culled. Fortunately there have been no fatalhuman cases of bird flu recorded in Bangladesh. FAO’sEmergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases(ECTAD) is contributing significantly to governmentinitiatives to control disease through active surveillancefor early reporting and early response, and by improvingbiosecurity in live bird markets. FAO has also advocatedimplementing biosecurity initiatives through public-private partnerships. Capacity in biosecurity is also beingboosted.

1.5 Forestry

FAO’s key support in the forestry sector includes:

• increasing the capacity of the Forests Department(FD) to assess national forest resources, by setting upa national database and a national forest assessmentunit for long-term monitoring. LANDSAT satellitedata is to be collected and processed so that reliableand up to date information for policy makers can bemade available. This has been implemented throughthe TCP/BGD/3001 – Strengthening capacity togenerate quality information on forest resources, 2004-2005 and its second phase TCP/BGD/3104. Theproject produced the National Forest and TreeResources Assessment 2005-2007, printed in 2007,and

• preparing a technical report entitled Integratedresource management plan of the Sunderbans ReserveForest. The report included practical guidelines tobring together all the diverse facets of theSundarbans Reserve Forests in order to achieveintegrated sustainable management of this resource.This has been implemented through training forSunderbans Reserved Forest Project (UTF/BGD/032/BGD).

1.6 Policy assistance and intervention

FAO developed the National Plan of Action for Nutrition(NPAN), which was approved by Bangladesh in 1997. Thegovernment undertook a number of NPAN-

recommended projects, which were funded by severaldonors and implemented by FAO and other agencies.

At the request of the government, FAO formulated theNational Livestock Policy for Bangladesh (2005-2006). Thegovernment approved the policy in 2007.

FAO also developed the Plan of Action for NationalAgriculture Policy in 2004 to operationalize the policywith a view towards alleviating poverty and attainingsustainable food security through rapid agriculturalgrowth.

The agriculture sector review of 2004 focused on thelonger-term prospects of agricultural growth andstructural change within the context of macroeconomicgrowth. It took into account the emerging trend towardsmarket and trade liberalization, regional developmentswith neighbouring countries and globalization.

Formulation of Actionable Policy Brief 2004 (APB 2004)primarily focused on the crop sub-sector based onPoverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) and thegovernment’s strategy to meet the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. The APB 2004 recommendedimmediate, medium-term and long-term measuresdesigned to address key constraints, thereby contributingto a sustained increase in land and labour productivity inagriculture. The policy brief also promoted concomitantinvestment, policy adaptation to respond to naturaldisasters, and market-related risks.

Formulation of an action plan to implement theActionable Policy Brief 2006 focused on policy

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recommendations that require specific details of whatneeds to be done, and the legal and financialrequirements needed to implement the policy agenda.

National Food Policy Plan of Action (NFP PoA – 2008-2015) was launched in 2009 with the support from theNational Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Programme(NFPCSP). NFPCSP is providing necessary policy supportto the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee(a Cabinet Committee) through its secretariat in the FoodPlanning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) under the FoodDivision of the Ministry of Food and DisasterManagement. NFPCSP has also taken an active role informulating the Bangladesh Country Investment Plan(CIP) and its ongoing updating process.

1.7 Other programmes

World Food Day: World Food Day (WFD) has always beenhelpful to raise awareness through the media aboutagriculture and particularly food security issues.Commemorative stamps were issued on FAO’s 50th

anniversary and on WFD 2009, with the prime ministerpresiding over a ceremony issuing the stamps. In recentyears the media, including a number of television newsorganizations, have provided live news coverage of WFDevents.

Ceres medal given to Bangladesh prime minister: FAODirector-General Jacques Diouf visited Bangladesh inDecember 1999 and awarded Prime Minister SheikhHasina Wazed with the prestigious Ceres Medal for heroutstanding contribution to agricultural development.

A.H. Boerma Award: The A.H. Boerma Award for2008-2009 was awarded to Shykh Seraj of Channel i TVfor coverage of FAO activities, including live coveragefrom the city as well as the countryside.

LCG platform: FAO is the chair of the Local ConsultativeGroup for Agriculture, Rural Development and FoodSecurity (LCG-ARDFS). This forum provides a platform foraligning the relevant development partners withgovernment programmes and supports harmonization ofdonor contributions under the Paris Declaration andAccra Agenda for Action. FAO, through the internationalnutrition specialist of the NFPCSP project, is chairing theLCG-Nutrition Group.

2. Selected successful FAO programmes

2.1 Climate change issues in agriculture

The negative impacts of natural disasters and climatechange have the potential to de-rail development

efforts including food and livelihood security. Bangladeshis one of the most disaster prone countries in the world,largely because of its geographical location and thegeophysical lay of the land. The country is highlyvulnerable to almost all types of disasters: floods,cyclones, droughts, tidal surges, tornadoes andearthquakes. All have hit Bangladesh with relatively highfrequency. Though natural disasters affect every sector,their impact is most serious on agricultural. Flood,drought, cyclone, soil erosion, river erosion, salinity,insects-pests and chemical contamination of water: allpose constant threats of extensive loss to agriculturalproduction. Early floods in April-June often cause

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extensive damage to crops and the government hasacknowledged the need to focus more resources ondisaster risk reduction.

In response to government priorities, FAO began helpingBangladesh address climate change issues in 2003. FAOimplemented four designed achieve livelihood adaptationto climate change, and disaster risk management in theagriculture sector. The first was funded under its TechnicalCooperation Programme, and three others by the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP). The projectswere:

Strengthening disaster preparedness in the agriculturalsector, CP/BGD/2904, $322 413

Local level capacity building for disaster risk management inagriculture project, BGD/01/004, $93 879

Comprehensive disaster management programme (CDMP)FAO component: Livelihood adaptation to climate change,LACC, – phase I and II, BGD/01/004, $900 000

Key achievements in response to climate change:

• Increased the capacity of farmers, publicrepresentatives, government officials and scientiststo adapt to climate change through disaster riskmanagement. These groups are all more aware ofthe threats from climate change and understandhow they can successfully address these threats.

• Bottom-up and top-down institutional approachesand processes have been developed to catalyze theimprovement of climate change adaptation strategy.

• Testing of pilot learning exercises in the existingDAE farmers groups has opened new ways ofestablishing educational opportunities in the areasof climate change adaptation and disaster riskreduction for farmers.

• Institutionalized partnerships and workingcollaborations with research institutes and otherspecialized organizations could continue to act asa science-based forum and regular source ofinformation and technology for testing, adoptionand dissemination.

The Bangladesh government, donors and otherstakeholders have commended FAO interventions in thefield of climate change adaptation. The government hasexpanded and replicated the tested models in a projectentitled Disaster and climate risk management in agriculture(DCRMA) with financial support from the ComprehensiveDisaster Management Programme (CDMP), jointly fundedby the European Community, the Swedish InternationalDevelopment Agency and UNDP.

2.2 Agricultural development tools preparedand installed

FAO has supported the development of techniques forinventory, evaluation and planning of land resources inBangladesh. Over the last three decades, FAO has helpedBangladesh to prepare and update the Agro-EcologicalZone (AEZ) database for the country. The AEZ database isa biophysical resource based on land, soil, hydrology, andclimate and land suitability. The Bangladesh AgriculturalResource Council (BARC) is the custodian of the AEZdatabase and updates it periodically.

The AEZ database is the foundation for a full-fledgednational and sub-national planning database. During theearly 1980s, FAO provided assistance to BARC to preparethe AEZ database for the whole country. Initially, theoutputs of the FAO AEZ study were estimates of landsuitability for major field crops. The study covered wheresoil moisture reserves are particularly important forresidual moisture cropping, allowing moisture storage tobe adjusted within a suitable range, according to soiltype.

During the 1990s, FAO provided technical support todevelop the AEZ database as the foundation for a neweffort to develop a comprehensive multi-scale GIS-basedLand Resources Information System (LRIS). The approachtaken by FAO was to create a dynamic multilayered GISdatabase, in which the component layers are modelledas variables that change over time. Because of theinherent variability of climatic and hydrologic conditionsin Bangladesh, an open-ended system that allows for themodelling of a wide range of dynamic scenarios basedon the historical record as well as predicted futurescenarios, would be very beneficial and would yieldhigher quality results.

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In 2009, FAO helped Bangladesh update climatic data ofthe AEZ database to track climate change scenarios inthe country. The study determined the extent of climatechange during the past 25 years. This is information vitalto national planning for almost every economic sector.

2.3 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

During the last three decades, FAO has been contributingto sustainable, profitable and environmentally soundproduction of rice, vegetable and cotton crops, throughthe development, promotion and use of IPM inBangladesh. The IPM concept was introduced inBangladesh through FAO’s Inter-Country IPM programmein 1981.

FAO strengthened national pesticide policies andenforcement systems and increased the number of IPMFarmer Field School (FFS) programmes to help farmersadopt IPM. IPM reduces pesticide use and results inhigher crop yields and safer and more profitable rice, fruitand vegetables. FAO encouraged Bangladesh to adopt anational policy on IPM and the government ultimatelyproduced a National Integrated Pest Management Policyin 2002. FAO’s strategies are to sustainably expand IPM byestablishing a national IPM programme and to co-ordinate all IPM activities in Bangladesh. Ongoing IPMprogrammes also influenced the agriculture ministry toencourage further development of IPM policies. This hasbeen reflected in the National Agricultural Policy.

Supported by the FAO-Regional Vegetable and Cotton IPM,the Farmer’s Field School Training Programme was begun inthe early 1990s to help farmers diversify their cropproduction using the IPM concept.

Bangladeshi farmers have benefited substantially fromtheir participation in FFS-based IPM training. FFS-trainedfarmers have become ecology-literate and have learnedto conserve and make sustainable use of naturalbiological control systems for various crops. FFS farmersalso benefited from cost savings resulting from reduceduse of pesticides and higher yields. According to animpact assessment study by the Bangladesh RiceResearch Institute, IPM-trained rice farmers have cut theiruse of pesticides by 90 percent with an increase in cropyield of 10 percent. IPM-trained eggplant/aubergine

farmers reduced their use of pesticides on average by75 percent with an increase in crop yield of 12 percent,according to the study. As a result, the profit margin ofthe IPM/FFS-trained farmers increased substantiallycompared to conventional farmers. With the reduction ofpesticide use, IPM also contributes to pesticide riskreduction, fewer poisoning incidents and lessenvironmental pollution in rural communities. It isexpected that by end of 2011, about 875 000 farmers, orsome 7.4 percent of the 11.8 million farming families inBangladesh will have benefited from FFS training.

Currently, FAO is implementing the World Bank-fundedEmergency 2007 Cyclone and Restoration Project (ECRRP)through which 351 FFS will be established over four yearsto train farmers in stress technologies, better cropmanagement, horticultural production, utilization oflivestock and fisheries resources, and nutrition.

2.4 Special Programme for Food Security(SPFS)

The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) is FAO’sflagship initiative to develop effective farming modelsthat will help countries eliminate hunger.

The SPFS became operational in March 1999 to addressthe problems of food security and undernutrition in rural,peri-urban and urban communities by increasingdecision-making capacity at different levels. The followingfive TCP projects have been implemented under the SPFS:

On-farm water management pilot programme, TCP/BGD/8928

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On-Farm water management pilot programme (secondphase of TCP/BGD/8928), TCP/BGD/0167

Strengthening food control in Bangladesh, TCP/BGD/2901

Intensification of sustainable production of wheat andrice-systems, TCP/BGD/2902

Training programme for the small-scale dairy sector, TCP/BGD/2903

In addition, another three projects were implemented:

Crop yield forecasting and agro-meteorology, UTF/BGD/29/BGD

Soil testing and fertility management, UTF/BGD/30/BGD

The special programme for food security with financialsupport from Japan and Bangladesh, GCSP/BGD/033/JPN

The last project covered the 21 most food-insecurevillages of 21 Upazilas in 16 districts covering nine agro-ecological zones.

FAO has introduced a significant model for food securityby implementing an SPFS project funded by Japan. As afollow-up action the Bangladesh government has alsoexpanded implementation of the model using some itsown funds, while requesting further funding from FAO.

Considering the success and significance of the modeldeveloped under this project, a new TeleFood project wasimplemented beginning in December 2010, GTFS/BGD/041/ITA Food security through enhanced agriculturalproduction diversified sources of income, value addition andmarketing in Bangladesh – Mymensingh and Sherpur (US$2.95 M) funded with financial support from the Italiantrust fund and a contribution from the Bangladeshgovernment.

Major achievements under SPFS:

• A unique model for poverty reduction wasdeveloped under SPFS. The model encompassed theformation of farmer organizations (VBO), which wereregistered by the government and now have legalstanding

• Capacity strengthening of VBOs and enhancedimplementation of planned activities

• Yields increased up to 20 percent for different cropsby using modern farm technologies

• Improving soil health for 100 percent of thecropland in the project area by using organicmanure and compost as well as applying therecommended amounts of chemical fertilizer withspecial emphasis on ‘guti’ (USG) urea

• Increasing quality seed production, preservation anddistribution practices

• The area under irrigation increased by 30 percent,while irrigation costs were reduced by 25 percentthrough minimizing water conveyance losses

• Self-employment opportunities were provided fora number of poor and destitute women

• The use of post-harvest machinery at project sitesreduced post-harvest losses and helped a numberof poor farmers become more food secure, becausethey could rent out the use of the machinery

• Nutritional status was improved when farm familiesbegan eating a balanced and nutritious diet

• A revolving fund was introduced to provide a smallamount of investment capital so farmers could runtheir small-scale IGAs. The revolving funds weregenerated through the accumulation of farmersavings as well as project support.

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With a view towards exploring the scale-up potential offood security nationwide through the formulation ofa National Programme for Food Security (NPFS), a draftplan outlining implementing of an NPFS has beenprepared by the Ministry of Agriculture covering 249 ofthe most food insecure Upazilas. The proposed budget isUS$320 million, of which the government is expectedto contribute 40 percent and project beneficiaries10 percent. External donors are expected to provide theremaining 50 percent. This outline would serve as thebasis to formulate the NPFS.

2.5 National food policy capacitystrengthening project (NFPCSP)

The National Food Policy of Bangladesh was approved in2006. During the formulation of the policy, thegovernment and development partners recognized theneed to enhance Bangladesh’s capacities to formulateand implement food security policies. Accordingly, theNational Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Programme(NFPCSP) was designed to strengthen the capacities ofthe Food Planning and Monitoring Unit – which is thegovernment unit responsible for monitoring the foodsecurity situation, providing policy guidance andfacilitating multi-sectoral coordination – and otheragencies to monitor and provide guidance on foodsecurity policy making also based on research studies.The project started in September 2005 and is to end inDecember 2012, counting on the financial support of theEU and USAID that committed, respectively, Euro Million7 175 and US$ Million 7.572.

The programme and its major achievements

Since its launch in 2005, the National Food PolicyCapacity Strengthening Programme (NFPCSP) has beeninstrumental in building Bangladesh’s institutional andhuman capacities to design and implement food securitypolicies. Thus far, major achievements of the NFPCSPinclude:

Improved policy and programming frameworks for acomprehensive and cross-sectoral approach to food security

In the past, Bangladesh’s approach to improving foodsecurity was largely focused on food availability. As

a consequence, food security was primarily seen asa responsibility of the agriculture sector and of the PublicFood Distribution System; important aspects related toimproving the economic and physical access to food andthe nutritional dimension of food security, on the otherhand, were largely marginalized. By providing technicalassistance, the NFPCSP has played a major role inenhancing capacities to formulate, implement andmonitor comprehensive food security frameworksnutrition. Two outstanding achievements includethe development of the National Food Policy Plan ofAction (2008) and the Country Investment Plan for FoodSecurity that was first approved in June 2010 and thenupdated in March 2011. These documents provide theGovernment and Development Partners with a consistentand comprehensive framework for addressing theavailability, access and utilization dimensions of foodsecurity across different sectors. The frameworks have alsoproved to be very important instruments for aligningDevelopment Partners’ interventions with nationalpriorities.

Increased human and institutional capacities of theGovernment of Bangladesh

Capacity building is playing an important role in enablingthe Government to better formulate and implement foodsecurity policies and monitor the food security situationin the country. At the start of the project, the FPMU hadvery limited office facilities and only 4 permanent with.thanks to the support provided by the this programme,the agency has fully functional offices, counts 12 staffwith university education in subjects closely relevant tothe mandate of the FPMU (6 have completed a MSc,2 are in the process of completing a Ph.D. and another3 are currently finalizing their MSc). The NFPCSP has alsoenhanced the analytical skills of staff of the FPMU andother relevant agencies through study tours and tailormade courses (about 500 hours of in-class training) infood security analysis, both in the country and abroad.

Knowledge- and dialogue-based decision making

Information plays an important role in improving foodsecurity decision making. However, successful policymaking and implementation also requires achievingconsensus among the different stakeholders. This implies

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that information-based decision making should not beseparated from dialogue among stakeholders. Withsupport from NFPCSP, the Government of Bangladesh hasestablished policy processes that are based on bothinformation and dialogue. This includes conductingscientific research on food security and organizing regularseminars and workshops during which the Government,civil society representatives, development partners andresearchers discuss findings and their implications onpolicy reform. So far, 44 research grants for researchprojects have been awarded to 83 national institutionsand all research reports and about 90 research papershave been completed. In addition to this, 11 Ph.D. Thesesand 42 MS dissertations have been published. Findingsfrom all of the research projects have been discussed in10 large national consultative workshops and over 200technical seminars and smaller workshops, includingrepresentatives from civil society, government,development partners, universities and research institutes.This research and dialogue has contributed to puttingfood security high on the research agenda, to increasingthe understanding of food security among civil societyand in improving dialogue between stakeholders In 2011,16 new researches projects – identified in closeconsultation with the FPMU – will be commissioned tonational research institutes.

Greater access to information on food security

To further facilitate and encourage the use of informationin decision making, fortnightly and quarterly food securitymonitoring reports are regularly issued and a web-basedfood security information system has been developedand integrated with the new public website. Theseprovide decision makers and the general public with

immediate access to food security information. Theinformation system allows to automatically exchangedata between different agencies and automates certainreporting functions. With a similar intention, the NFPCSPhas set up a physical and electronic DocumentationCentre that provides easy access to essential books,documents and other reference material on food security.Already, the online Documentation Centre is the country’sbiggest electronic repository on food security and isconstantly expanding. This contrasts with the situation atproject start, when only a very rudimentary food securitydata collection system was in place, which made accessto key food security documents very difficult.

Well advised decision making

In addition to building national capacities to informdecision making, when needed, the NFPCSP also providesdirect policy advice to Government and DevelopmentPartners. For example, in the context of the 2007 floodsand cyclone and the 2008 food price crisis, theprogramme provided information and advice toGovernment and Development Partners on crucial issuessuch as the National Food Budget, procurement pricefixation, and management of public stocks and safetynets. Similarly, during the formulation of the CountryInvestment Plan, the NFPCSP played a central role inproviding advice on the contents of the plan andpromoting alignment with national policy andinstitutional frameworks.

Future goals: To consolidate the above-mentionedachievements and ensure their sustainability, theprogramme will continue to focus its efforts on:

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Strengthening national capacities to monitor thecountry’s food security situation and the implementationof the National Food Policy Plan of Action and theCountry Investment Plan. This will involve supporting thecompletion of postgraduate education, on-the-jobtraining, preparing and delivering training courses onfood security and organizing additional training abroad,as well as facilitating inter-ministerial collaboration. Aspecific effort is being made to strengthen theinstitutional setting of FPMU so as to retain and make thebest use of the technical capacities that have beendeveloped

Providing research-based knowledge as well as timelyinformation and quality advice to policy makers on crucialinterventions by commissioning and technicallybackstopping food security research, further customisingthe food security information systems to the country’sneeds and expanding the network to other agencies, andfurther improving the Documentation Centre

Advising Government and Development Partners on theimplementation and monitoring of the National FoodPolicy Plan of Action and the Country Investment Plan aswell as other emerging issues.

2.7 Fisheries development

1. An extensive resource base, favourable climateconditions and expanding global markets havecreated great opportunities for Bangladesh togenerate jobs and income in the fisheries andaquaculture sectors, which would also help thecountry become more food secure. Fisheries inBangladesh fall broadly into four areas: inland

freshwater culture fisheries; inland open watercapture fisheries; coastal fisheries and brackish wateraquaculture; and marine fisheries.

FAO has been involved in all sub-sectors of Bangladesh’sfisheries, including extending support to reformingfisheries policies.

The main interventions include:

• Strengthening rural pond fish culture extension.

• Trawl-based surveys for marine fisheries in themid-1980s.

• The Bay of Bengal programme, which identifiedovercapacity, destructive fishing practices andequipment, and the extent of damage being causedto fisheries resources. It made recommendations tothe Bangladesh government derived from thisproject.

• As a follow up of those recommendations, thegovernment initiated the UNDP-FAO project calledEmpowering Coastal Fishing Communities – ECFC(US$4.88 M) aimed at changing attitudes, em-powering and encouraging direct participation ofcommunities in coastal resource management.

• FAO supported the Bangladesh government in itsformulation and implementation of an HACCP-based fish quality assurance programme for fisheriesproducts.

• In recent years, FAO successfully implementeda Technical Cooperation Programme project onshrimp seed certification systems that endeavouredto develop a quality assurance programme for theblack tiger prawn hatchery industry. This is a realneed for the sector and should be done to avoidfurther deterioration in Bangladesh’s position in theinternational aquaculture product market.

Other important project support and achievements:

• In the late 1970s, FAO provided support forBangladesh to establish fish inspection and qualitycontrol laboratories in Khulna and Chittagong withthe objective of establishing pre-shipmentinspections and certification regarding the general

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quality and bacterial count in export fish and fishproducts;

• The Shrimp Disease Prevention and HealthManagement project was set up to train shrimpfarmers and field workers in the prevention andcontrol of shrimp disease;

• The Fisheries Research Institute project helped buildnational fisheries research capacity;

• FAO provided fish seed, feed and fishing equipmentfor the rehabilitation of fish farmers in coastaldistricts who were hit by the cyclones Sidr and Aila.

The current priority for the fisheries sector is to developthe capacity to control the quality of fish and shrimp.However, the government alone cannot implementa quality assurance programme. It has to be a public-private partnership. Discussions between the governmentand the private sector are needed to arrive at a consensuson how to proceed. It is also important that the privatesector itself engage in a much more serious dialogue sothat a single voice and vision can emerge to improve thesector.

2.8 Community livestock and dairydevelopment (BGD/98/009)

The Community livestock and dairy development projectwas one of the best UNDP-funded projects implementedby the Grameen Fisheries and Livestock Foundation(GMPF) – a sister organization of the Grameen Bank thatreceives technical support from FAO. The project wasapproved on 15 July 1999 with a budget of US$3.24million. The UNDP provided US$3.04 million and US$0.2million came from GMPF. The ministry of finance was thegovernment’s cooperating agency. The project alsoworked closely with the DLS.

Objectives: The project was established to contribute tothe national effort to alleviate poverty by providinga model for sustainable rural development throughlivestock-based income generation in rural communities.The model was designed to reduce poverty, enhancedevelopment opportunities for women, improve

household food security and nutrition, and increasefamily income in a sustainable way.

Outcome and achievements: The project operated inone of the poorest, most flood-prone areas of thecountry. When it ended in December 2005, the numberof village group members had doubled from 3 275 to6 760. Some 85 percent of the new members are landless.There have been significant improvements in householdnutrition and earnings with daily incomes on averageincreasing from US$0.19 to US$1.25.

Impact: As of September 2007, the US$3.4 millioninvested in the project by UNDP and GMPF had producedmeat, milk, eggs and dung valued at almost US$7 millionat retail prices. Important outcomes were that many verypoor households rose out of poverty and large numbersrural communities were empowered. GMPF are on targetto increase the number of VGMs from 7 670 to 10 500during the immediate post-project period from 2006 to2010. Some 85 percent of participants were women whotogether own more than 20 000 cattle.

Lessons learned: The successful implementation of theCommunity Livestock and Dairy Development Project hashelped to place the dairy sub-sector at community levelin a good position to take advantage of recent priceincreases for imported dairy products by substitutingdomestically produced milk. The policies and strategiesproposed in the National Livestock Policy of 2006 and theNational Strategy of Accelerated Poverty Reduction of2005 recognized that milk produced at the communitylevel can play a significant role in improving nutrition,income and job opportunities, helping Bangladesh toachieve its MDG goals of cutting undernutrition andpoverty by half by 2015.

Scaling up: Investment programmes and more investors,especially from the private sector, are needed to furtherextend and expand the successes of this kind of project.In Bangladesh there is not only a great need to developthe livestock sector, there is much potential to do so andthis could be achieved by scaling up the successes ofearlier projects.

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3. Collaboration for the long-term

Building a better future together

S ince the global food crisis of 2007-2008, donorcommitments to invest in food security and

agricultural development have increased dramatically. Forinstance, at the July 2009 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, donorspledged to invest US$20 billion in food security andagriculture over three years, both multilaterally andbilaterally. New funding arrangements have been created,including the Global Agriculture and Food SecurityProgramme, the European Union Food Facility and the USFeed the Future Initiative.

The increased availability of funding for food securityoffers an enormous opportunity for Bangladesh. Foodsecurity is multi-sectoral by nature and as such requiresinterdependent interventions across diverse sectors suchas agriculture, health, nutrition, education and disastermanagement. Without strategic planning andcoordination, it will be difficult to ensure resources arechannelled where they are most needed.

The Country Investment Plan (CIP) for Investment inAgriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, was launched in2010 as an integrated approach to facilitate investmentin all the dimensions of food security – availability, accessand nutrition. This government document is currentlyunder review, and the updated version was launched on20th March 2011 at a high profile National Forum. Thiswill likely provide a solid platform for multi-sectoralapproaches to many of the country’s food security andheath issues.

Bangladesh has been awarded US$52 million from theGlobal Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP),of which FAO is the technical assistance supervisor. TheGAFSP-funded initiative is expected to serve as a seed togerminate additional multilateral development efforts.

A master plan for the southern coasts links agricultureand water, and fosters collaboration with other countrieson major deltas, including the Mekong Delta. This hasproduced a cooperative relationship with the Dutch DeltaAlliance and Water Mondial initiatives. These cooperativeefforts are expected to lead to larger long-term

development initiatives based on the proposed multi-billion dollar Padma Bridge Project, that would build a railand road link over a vast (more than 6 km wide) river andunlock the potentials for comprehensive southerndevelopment.

FAO Bangladesh now has a standard National Medium-Term Priority Framework (NMTPF) and has completed thefirst stage of the Investment Assessment to 2030. Thesestrategic preparations, including the NFP PoA, set thestage for robust growth in agricultural development. Thiswould be in line with the country’s long-term plans tomeet the MDGs and become a middle-income countryin the coming decade.

The challenges are huge considering the additionalburden emerging from rapidly increasing food prices,new epidemics and other food security challenges.However, hope can be found in the recent formation oflinkages between agriculture, health and nutrition aroundthe world, and the collaborative clusters establishedamong the UN agencies, governments and private sectorresource providers. Achieving MDG 1 will require untiringand concerted effort from all – the Bangladeshgovernment, the donor community, investors, academia,financiers, farmers and civil society.

FAO Representatives in Bangladesh

David Butcher November 1977 to June 1980

L.I.J. Silva October 1980 to December1985

John A. Hoskins January 1986 to June 1990

Peter J. Myers September 1990 to August1995

Hiroyuki Konuma April 1996 to September 1999

Ms Bui Thi Lan July 2001 to August 2006

Ad Spijkers October 2006 to March 2011

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Annex I

and also Country Partnership Framework amongdevelopment partners.

The 26-27 May 2010 Bangladesh Food SecurityInvestment Forum was a world class event attended bythe top experts and policy makers in agriculture and foodsecurity from Bangladesh and abroad. The Forum wasorganized with financial contributions by USAID, scientificinputs from IFPRI and BIDS, technical contributions byFAO, and support from other development partners.

The forum was inaugurated by the prime minister, andattended by the agriculture minister, the food minister,the USAID Administrator, the head of BIDS (BangladeshInstitute of Development Studies), the director-general ofIFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), theFAO regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, andthe UN special representative on food security andnutrition.

Five principles (known as Rome Principles), endorsed bythe international community during the Rome Summiton World Food Security (November 2009), inspired andguided the government leadership in the process of CIPand ownership of the outcome document: theinvestment plans for food security should be country-led,comprehensive, coordinated, and the UN system can playan important role in ensuring the coordination of theactors and in securing additional funds fromdevelopment partners.

The CIP provides a coherent set of priority investmentprogrammes (12 at this stage) to improve food securityand nutrition in an integrated way. It is a comprehensiveplan, builds on the existing framework, reflects theGovernment’s investment priorities and aims to: (i) planand invest resources in a coordinated way; (ii) increaseconvergence and alignment of budget and externalsources of funding, and; (iii) to mobilize additionalresources. Proposed investments relate to strengtheningphysical, institutional and human capacities in the field ofagriculture, water management, fisheries, livestock,agricultural marketing, food management, safety nets,nutrition and food safety.

Success stories

1. Making it happen in Bangladesh: Countryinvestment plan

Launched on 14 June 2010, Bangladesh is one of theleading countries in the developing world, the first inAsia, to have a comprehensive Country Investment Planfor agriculture, food security and nutrition (CIP). FAOjoined hands with the Ministry of Food and DisasterManagement (MoFDM) in the formulation process whichproved the highest degree of commitment andcoordination for the convergence of all stakeholdersaround a challenging task.

Commitments of global leadership in L’Aquila, Rome,Pittsburg, New York and elsewhere led to new initiativeslike the Global Food Security Investment Fund (GAFSP),and President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative –demanding, at the same time, strategic readiness withcountry-led and country-owned instruments.

An inclusive CIP that incorporates the interests of thepublic and private sectors and promotes a convergenceamong the government, development partners (DP) andother stakeholders, is considered as a key strategic stepfor sustainable investment.

FAO supported the government, under funding fromUSAID and EC, in the formulation of its National FoodPolicy Plan of Action (PoA) for 2008-2015, in May 2008.This PoA provided the launching pad for the subsequentactions. Now, Bangladesh is strategically in a position toembark on large investment initiatives for sustainablefood security.

The Local Consultative Group on Agriculture, RuralDevelopment and Food Security (LCG-ARDFS), chaired byFAO since 2007, played a pioneering role in many of theinitiatives. The LCG platform provides with theopportunity for convergence and harmonization in aideffectiveness as envisaged in Paris Declaration and AccraAgenda for Action. A Joint Cooperation Strategy (JCS) wassigned between the government and the developmentpartners (DP) in June 2010 that makes way for CIP

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The Forum provided a perfect stage for reviewing thedraft CIP towards a comprehensive document. Followingthe formulation and endorsement of CIP, Bangladeshapplied for funding under GAFSP on 14 June and isexpected to be one of the first beneficiary countriesreceiving assistance.

New technological and agronomic interventions, asdiscussed for a second green revolution, should give priorattention to, inter alia, government ownership andleadership, convergence and harmonization in aidthrough close interactions between the government andDP, and inclusive and integrated planning that promotesthe private sector participation also.

2. The national food policy and plan of action

Since the global food crisis of 2007-2008, donorcommitments to invest in food security and agriculturaldevelopment have increased drastically. For instance, atthe July 2009 G8 summit in L’Aquila, donors committedto invest USD20 billion in food security and agricultureover three years, both multilaterally and bilaterally. Newfunding arrangements have been created including theGlobal Agriculture and Food Security Programme, theEuropean Union Food Facility and the US Feed the FutureInitiative.

The increased availability of funding for food securityoffers an enormous opportunity for Bangladesh. However,it might also present unprecedented challenges tochannel resources efficiently and coherently. Foodsecurity is multi-sectoral by nature, and as such requiresinterdependent interventions across diverse sectors suchas agriculture, health, nutrition, education and disastermanagement. Without strategic planning andcoordination, it will thus be difficult to ensure resourcesare channeled to where they are needed most.

To provide food security actors in Bangladesh witha strategic orientation in food security planning, thegovernment of Bangladesh designed and approved theNational Food Policy (2006) and Plan of Action (2008-2015). The latter translates three core objectives of thepolicy into strategic areas of intervention and priorityactions: Adequate and stable supply of safe and nutritiousfood; Increased purchasing power and access to food of

the people; and adequate nutrition for all individuals,especially women and children.

Special care was taken to align the National Food Policywith Bangladesh’s overall development strategy. Thedocument is consistent with all relevant sectoral policiesand broader policy frameworks, thus making it a suitableinstrument to align donors’ interventions withgovernment priorities.

The Plan of Action also identifies relevant actors andsuggests a set of policy targets and indicators to monitorprogress in the implementation of the National FoodPolicy. While progress has been achieved in increasingrice production, in reducing the prevalence ofmalnourishment and in lowering the number ofunderweight children, monitoring of the Plan of Actionidentified several areas that require increased attention bythe Government of Bangladesh and international donors.

Filling the gaps

Evidence shows that, while production has substantiallygrown, Bangladesh still needs to further increase anddiversify agricultural output. To improve the availability offood, investments are needed to intensify and diversifyfood production and increase its sustainability; supportadaptation to climate change; and develop agriculturalmarketing and infrastructure.

Specific entry points for action include increasingresearch and extension capacities, with special attentionto the development of new rice and non-rice varieties;developing programmes on crop diversification andincreasing funding to livestock and fisheries sectors;facilitating access to agricultural inputs and credit andensuring that fertilizers and pesticides are usedsustainably; and protecting producers’ incentives bystrengthening procurement programmes.

Another important food security challenge is to increasethe number of people who can access sufficient andnutritious food. Investments to eradicate income poverty,with a particular emphasis on the most vulnerablegroups, and improved risk management, will helpincrease and stabilize access to food. Among other things,this involves promoting income generation in rural areas

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by increasing access to markets, strengthening women’saccess to productive assets, increasing value-addition,paying special attention to the development of micro-enterprises and reforming technical and vocationaltraining to be more gender sensitive. In addition, safetynet programmes need to be expanded to the landless,marginal farmers and food insecure people in urban anddisaster-prone areas.

Diets in Bangladesh are highly unbalanced and diseasesimpair people’s ability to absorb nutrients from the foodthey eat. To improve nutrition, investments are needed topromote diversified food consumption, tackle nutrientdeficiencies among women and children and improvefood safety. This requires strengthening health andnutrition programmes by adopting life-cycle approachesin programme design and implementation, andimproving their targeting. It also calls for furtherimproving food supplementation and fortificationinterventions for vulnerable groups, as well as breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices. Mostcritically, a nutrition focus needs to be mainstreamedwithin agriculture, health, safety nets and educationpolicies and programmes.

Lastly, food security governance needs to be enhanced.This involves increasing human and institutionalcapacities to implement and coordinate food securityinterventions and to monitor the National Food Policyand its Plan of Action by ensuring that the relevant dataare available and easily accessible.

The National Food Policy and Plan of Action providethe reference policy frameworks for defining acomprehensive investment plan that is able to mobilizeadditional resources in the context of renewedinternational commitment to support food security,agriculture and nutrition.

3. Towards a master plan for a mega delta

Bangladesh is the largest delta, the most denselypopulated country in the world, and its low-lying floodplains are considered by many as one of the most disasterprone territories.

Presently with about 150 million people and two millionnew mouths to feed each year, the food securitychallenges to its population – exacerbated by climatechange – seem perpetual. In spite of these adversaries,people are amazingly resistant to calamities and bounceback to prosperity with a little but useful assistance.

In 2007 Bangladesh was hit by two devastating floods,one damaging the main rain-fed rice while anotherdisaster, cyclone CIDR, inflicted casualties in thousandsand damages in billions of dollars. The most affectedareas include the southern delta, where the Sundarbansmangrove forests – a world heritage which usually actsas a barrier to the battering by nature – suffered severedamages. Dikes and embankments were broken and saltwater flooded the inland, damaging fishery resources aswell.

In addition to immediate emergency assistance to thetune of USD11 million, FAO supports the introduction ofagricultural technologies to improve the resilience ofcommunities and households to future disasters incyclone prone areas – as part of the World Bank’sEmergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project(2008-2013). This has long-term impact on sustainablefood security by aiming at bringing the southern deltaback as the bread-basket of Bangladesh.

In tandem, an EU Food Facility project, Overcome soaringinput and food prices in impoverished areas of Bangladesh,is providing Euro 7.5 million assistance in the crop,livestock and fisheries sectors for more than 80 000farming households, focusing on agriculturalmodernization, women’s empowerment, sustainablelinkages to the existing private sector market potentialsand ensuring the sustainability of the interventions forfood security of the target areas in the future.

Following the above, Bangladesh successfully applied tothe Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme(GAFSP) to obtain USD52 million for Integrated agriculturedevelopment programme for agro-ecologically constrainedand economically depressed areas. This programme willdirectly benefit 350 000 farmers and indirectly another750 000 farmers, adopting modern technologies and

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practices over a five year period. The proposedprogramme consists of five inter-related components:(i) technology generation; (ii) technology adoption;(iii) water management; (iv) linking farmers to markets;and (v) technical assistance, capacity building and projectmanagement.

An increase in agricultural productivity in these areas,characterized predominantly by poor, smallholder farmhouseholds, is expected to positively impact householdfood security and welfare in a number of ways.

The project focuses on specific agro-ecological areasincluding the salt affected tidal surge areas in the south(approximately 2 million hectares), flash-flood prone areasin the north and north-east (approximately 0.75 millionha) and drought-prone areas in the south-west and north(approximately 1.3 million ha). The project approach is tobreak out of the low-equilibrium trap in these areasthrough a set of complementary interventions – in thesense that each intervention enhances the returns onother interventions – that together constitute anintegrated strategy for the agricultural development ofthese areas.

Together, these initiatives build towards a master planfor the southern delta in Bangladesh. FAO has taken thelead in the process and is mobilizing other developmentpartners for complementing investments undera framework.

The experiences and innovations whether in the form ofstress-tolerant varieties or in the adaptive farmingpractices of one corner of earth can be no less useful forother corners. Deltas around the world may benefit fromthe interactions and exchange of knowledge andexperiences. FAO’s success in Bangladesh so far and infuture may stimulate similar achievements in othercountries, especially deltas.

4. Feeding Bangladesh’s growing populationamid rising climate changes

New technologies and agricultureal practices key

7 October 2010, Barisal and Khulna, Bangladesh – Atfirst glance it looks like another of Bangladesh’s hundreds

of rivers – that is, until the half-submerged houses andblackened trees come into view.

Thousands of acres of rice paddy have been under waterin Koira Upazila (sub-district) in southern Bangladeshsince Cyclone Aila swept through more than a year ago,damaging miles of protective flood embankments andwiping out crops, fish stocks and livestock.

Like most rural Bangladeshis, people here rely heavily onagriculture, yet the stagnant floodwaters have renderedmuch of their crop land useless and made keeping goatsor chickens nearly impossible.

”Before Aila, this area was better off than the monga-prone areas of the north,” said Arabindo Biswas, a KoiraUpazila agricultural officer, referring to the Bengali termfor seasonal food shortages. “Now it is much worse.”

Many have left for Dhaka, the capital, to look for work.Others have stayed on, living along embankments andnarrow roadsides in temporary shacks made of bamboo,mud bricks and plastic sheeting – one after the other.

Money is tight as jobs are scarce, plunging familiesdeeper into poverty and hunger.

Surprisingly, many houses in the flooded areas remaininhabited.

”Where else are we supposed to go?” asked ZahiruddinSarder, a 70-year old farm labourer. “The embankment isalready over-crowded.”

FAO is working with the Government of Bangladesh to unlockthe agricultural potential of the southern coastal zone

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Multiple challenges

The scene in Koira, though extreme, speaks to themultiple challenges facing the Government ofBangladesh as it seeks, with FAO’s help, to stimulateagricultural growth and development in the southerncoastal belt – one of the country’s poorest regions..

Bangladeshi farmers in this low-lying delta have had todeal with a gamut of climate challenges – fromincreasingly unpredictable monsoon rains and rivererosion to tidal surges and saltwater intrusion.

”In 2007 alone, we had two floods back-to-back in thesouth and then Cyclone Sidr,” said Ad Spijkers, FAORepresentative in Bangladesh. “We lost 1.8 million tonnesof rice. That amount can feed 10 million people for a year.”

In Bangladesh, nearly 160 million people live in an arealess than half the size of Italy and the population isexpected to expand by about two million people peryear.

The country has managed to triple its rice production inthe 40 years since independence, but feeding sucha rapidly growing population, especially given dwindlingland and water resources and rising climate threats,requires new strategies, technologies and innovation.

This is the approach the government, with the help ofFAO and other partners, is taking as it tries to turn thesouthern delta into an agricultural powerhouse and helpthe rural poor achieve greater prosperity.

Increased investments

These efforts have gathered steam thanks to initiativeslike a $109 million World Bank-funded cyclone recoveryand rehabilitation project – with FAO heading up theagricultural component – and a recent $52 million grantfrom the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program,a multi-donor fund resulting from the L’Aquila FoodSecurity Initiative.

The grant is in response to Bangladesh’s countryinvestment plan for agriculture, food security andnutrition, which builds on existing national food securitypolicies and strategies.

Developed by the Government with FAO support, theplan maps out a set of priority investment programmesto improve the availability of safe and nutritious food,ensure that people have the means to buy the food theyneed and reverse the country ’s staggeringly highmalnutrition rates.

Adapting to a changing climate

Work is already under way to introduce new crop varietiesin the coastal zone – seeds tolerant to saline and otherstresses – and so far results have been good, with farmersgetting higher yields.

Farmers are being trained in new agricultural practices,from modifying cropping patterns in order to cope withchanging weather to ensuring the balanced use offertilizers and modern machinery.

Significant attention is being paid to improving water andinfrastructure management. Damaged embankments anddikes – crucial to protecting fields from tidal surges andsea water intrusion – need to be repaired.

Silted rivers and canals need to be dredged to allow forproper drainage and water flow and surface waterirrigation systems need to be developed.

”I f you look at the agricultural success in Vietnam’sMekong Delta, you will see that they have done a lot ofwork on irrigation water management and I think thereare lessons to be learned there,” said Spijkers.

There is also a push to improve the productivity ofbrackish water shrimp farming, which has good exportpotential, and to promote smallholder poultry and dairyproduction.

These efforts will help boost incomes and create newjobs, especially among women and the landless, andensure that people have access to a more diversified foodbasket, including some form of protein.

5. Boosting incomes of Bangladesh’s ruralpoor

Barisal and Khulna, Bangladesh – Shefali Rani, aBangladeshi woman in her fifties, dreams of starting her

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own paper bag making business one day. And it is herpregnant goat – her sole asset – that holds the key tothat dream, she says.

“I hope to sell one of the kid goats when it gets a littleolder and use that money to get a business going,” shesaid. “Then I can fix my house.”

Like many Bangladeshis in the country’s southern coastalbelt, Shefali Rani lost nearly everything to Cyclone Sidrthree years ago.

The storm flattened her family’s home along the riverembankment, killed their livestock and swept away mostof their meagre belongings.

Her husband, a shop owner, became ill shortly after, onlyto die when another massive cyclone – Cyclone Aila –ripped through the country two years later.

Today she and her 12-year-old daughter sleep ona narrow wooden platform, alongside their goat, ina shack cobbled together with pieces of corrugatedmetal, wood and plastic sheeting. Gaping holes do littleto keep the rains out and safety is a constant concern.

Cyclone devastation

Cyclone Sidr, which followed closely on the heels of twosevere monsoon floods, affected over eight millionpeople, many of them landless labourers and marginalfarmers with less than 0.2 hectares of land.

The storm damaged 1.5 million homes, uprooted around4 million trees, killed off livestock, destroyed fishing boats,

nets and fish stocks, and wiped out a good portion ofthe soon-to-be-harvested aman rice, the region’s mainstaple.

It also wiped out people’s main means of making a living– and this at a time when food and fuel prices werebeginning to soar.

Back on their feet

As part of an emergency project, FAO provided nearly10 000 of the poorest and most vulnerable households –those living on river and canal embankments – withfishing boats and gear, chickens, ducks and goats andtree seedlings to help them get back on their feet asquickly as possible.

Khadiza Akhter, 28, who has no land of her own, earnsa steady income thanks to chickens received from FAO.The money she pulls in, mainly from hatching the eggsand selling the live birds, allows her to keep her youngchildren in school.

“My children are eating healthier food now – spinach,potatoes, rice, dhal and even fish once a month,” said themother of five, who used to scrape by on part-time jobspounding out rice for snacks, while her husband spendsmonths on a deep-sea fishing boat. “I’m now able to saveabout 100 taka (US$1.50) each month after expenses andI don’t have to look for work outside the house.”

Long-term focus

FAO is expanding its investment assistance activities andreaching out to many more households via a four-yearUSD16 million agricultural project to revitalize crop,livestock and fishery production in Barisal and Khulna –two southern districts hit hard by Cyclone Sidr.

It is part of a broader USD109 million World Bank-financed project aimed at restoring livelihoods,rehabilitating and upgrading coastal embankments,building new shelters and strengthening disaster riskmanagement in the south’s cyclone-prone areas.

And it is fully in line with the Government’s efforts to“build back better” and turn the southern coastal belt intothe country’s bread basket.

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Boosting incomes and resilience

Around 40 percent of Bangladesh’s nearly 160 millionpeople live below the poverty line. Many are unable toafford the food they need. Malnutrition rates are amongthe highest in the world.

The push to intensify and diversify agricultural productionin the southern delta, through the better use oftechnology and improved agricultural practices, will helpboost people’s incomes and diets.

This, along with better water and embankmentmanagement, will help prevent the rural poor from beingcompletely blindsided by the next disaster – importantin a country increasingly faced with erratic monsoonrains, cyclones, rising sea levels and drought.

“It’s extreme when it rains and extreme when it’s dry,” saidAbdul Mannan, a 70-year-old rice farmer who has lostcrop land to encroaching sea water and salinity over theyears – a phenomenon affecting many in this area.

New technologies and training key

To help farmers get the most from their land, especiallyduring the dry boro season, FAO is working to introducenew crop varieties, such as saline- and stress-tolerantseeds, as well as modern machinery like power tillers,threshers, dryers and irrigation pumps.

It is also focusing on increasing surface water irrigation –or flood irrigation – and encouraging farmers to planthigher-value crops like fruit trees, vegetables, oil cropsand mung beans.

Likewise, FAO is providing improved fishing boats, netsand safety equipment, supporting sustainable fishingpractices and strengthening livestock management andproduction.

Helping producers form community-based groups andmarketing organizations will ensure sustained access toinputs and stronger bargaining power.

While technical training on diversifying production,minimizing post-harvest losses and increasing the value

and consumer appeal of their goods will help put theproducers on a path to a more secure future.

“Around the time of the religious feast, Eid-al-Adha(‘Festival of Sacrifice’), goats can go for up to 10 000 takaeach ($143),” said Abu Sayeed Mia, a livestock productionspecialist with FAO Bangladesh. “If we can train womento raise their goats using better feed, vaccinations andshelter and wait to sell them in time for Eid, with two orthree goats they can make 20 000-30 000 taka and that’sgood money.”

6. Initiative on soaring food prices

Bangladesh’s location at the mouth of three huge riversystems flowing into the Bay of Bengal makes itparticularly susceptible to floods. It is densely populatedso overcrowding, land shortages and unsustainablefarming practices mean forests have been destroyed andsoil erosion has made riverbeds rise. Monsoonal floodsare an almost annual occurrence, as are the seasonalcyclones.

While agriculture is the major livelihoods source for mostBangladeshis, most struggle to maintain any significantlevel of production. About 60 percent of farmers arefunctionally landless, working as sharecroppers on terrainowned by landlords.

Another 20 percent of farmers are considered marginal,eking out crops on fractions of a hectare, but not enoughto feed a family for the year.

In November 2007, tens of thousands of homes weredestroyed by Cyclone Sidr and two major floods alsowreaked havoc, causing the loss of an estimated1.4 million tonnes of rice. Furthermore, rapid price risesof rice and other foods are putting intolerable pressureon poor urban and rural households, forcing them toabandon consumption of protein foods and causing anincrease in malnutrition.

This year, rice harvests may be reduced by pestinfestations. Potash fertilizer normally would reduce thelikelihood of infestations, but in many cases potash simplywasn’t available or was too pricey.

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In September, the price of staple rice was 41 percenthigher than in September 2007. As a result, mosthouseholds have even less “spare” cash to buy agriculturalinputs such as seed and fertilizer. Over the last year, theprice of quality seed also rose around 15 percent, makingit too expensive for many marginal and small farmers.

FAO response

FAO already has an emergency programme that helpsfarmers to deal with the regular weather shocks thatafflict Bangladesh. In the wake of the food price crisis,interventions include a Technical Cooperation Programmeproject supporting small and marginal farmers in thecyclone-affected districts. The project is valued atUS$500 000 to cover distribution of 680 tonnes ofhigh-yielding seed to 140 000 beneficiaries.

Bangladesh is also included in a regional TechnicalCooperation Programme project that aims to buildcapacity of countries in putting in place the social andproductive safety nets, such as agricultural tools andsupplies, to support vulnerable people. The project alsostrengthens monitoring and evaluations systems as wellas policy making via national and regional institutions.

FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Mission toBangladesh, August 2008

The mission estimated that an increase in food prices hadraised the number of “Absolute Poor” by 9 million peopleto a total of 80 million and increased the prevalence ofundernourishment to over 55 percent.

The mission made various recommendations to improveagricultural production in Bangladesh such as:

• Increase investment in superior rice varieties specificfor areas of Bangladesh

• Improve access to fertilizers and ensure their mostefficient and effective use

• Secure the electricity supply necessary to powerirrigation systems

• Strengthen farmers’ organizations

• Improve access to credit for vulnerable farmers sothey can buy inputs

• Expand incentives to increase pulse crop production

• Explore ways to address micronutrient deficiencies

7. Bangladesh dairy cooperative lifts farmersout of poverty

Milk Vita, independent of aid for 10 years, expanded milkproduction, improved cow care and set an example forprivate dairies

Potazia, Bangladesh – The morning “rush hour” in thisdusty but prosperous village in northeast Bangladesh isa happy affair. Talking and laughing, children and adultsthrong a collection point in the main square, all holdingin their hands the source of the community’s success:jugs of milk.

“In 1976, when I first came to this village, the houses weremade of straw and palm fronds,” says Dr MohammadAbdul Barik, a veterinarian and Deputy General Managerfor Societies of the Bangladesh Milk Producers’Cooperative Union Ltd., known throughout the countryby the brand name Milk Vita. “Now, as you see, the housesare made of corrugated iron.”

Alhaj Mohammed Huq, a retired teacher and chairman ofthe local milk society, adds, “The conditions here weremiserable when I was a child. Most students had a hardtime buying books.”

Potazia’s business had been to supply milk to a smallcommercial dairy about 20 to 25 kilometres away. Roadswere bad. Villagers would send milk all that way andsometimes the dairy couldn’t process any more milk andwouldn’t buy it.

“We were exploited,” says Mr Huq. “Milk was used insweets but there was a monopoly of sweet makers andthey controlled the price. If they liked they would offerfive taka (10 cents), or they would not even take the milk.”

Then the people from the Milk Vita dairy cooperativecame to town, and the result is a remarkable 25-yearmarch of progress in a corner of one of the world’spoorest countries. Not only did Milk Vita break the milkbuyers’ monopoly but, more importantly, it substantiallyexpanded milk production in the region. The success

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shows clearly what is possible when the right idea, theright economic and physical environment and the rightparticipants come together under competentmanagement.

FAO, the United Nations Development Programme andthe Danish aid agency DANIDA stuck with the dairycooperative for as long as they were needed – 15 years –a long time for development agencies to stay focused onone project. FAO trained the current generation ofmanagers and provided technical assistance foreverything from animal health to milk processing toproduct marketing.

Sheikh Mujubir Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding father,had a vision of democratically run farmers’ cooperativesleading rural development in the country.

The government started Milk Vita shortly afterindependence in 1974. In the early 1990s it withdrew,leaving the cooperative to an independent Board ofDirectors, the majority of who are now farmer-elected.The new board replaced civil servants with professionalmanagers and the cooperative finally became profitable.

Milk Vita is Bangladesh’s largest dairy company andthe leading supplier of fresh milk and dairy productssuch as butter and yogurt to Dhaka. Private dairies evencopy some of Milk Vita’s business model. For the last10 years Milk Vita has stood on its own two feet,without subsidies from either the internationalcommunity or the government. In 1998, 40 000 farmers,who pay a nominal fee to join the cooperative, earneda total of US$9.3 million through the sale of 30 millionlitres of milk. Farmers receive crucial animal services suchas vaccinations and artificial insemination.

Dividends decided by the cooperative flow back toproducers – in 2000, US$1.5 million was paid out. Theprice of milk is set by the cooperative based on currentdemand.

The best news of all is that Milk Vita will expand into fournew areas of Bangladesh where traditional small-scalemilk production still prevails – to be financed not byinternational charity but by the cooperative’s own profits.

“My vision 25 years ago was that this farmers’ cooperativewould cover all of Bangladesh,” says Dr Barik.

Judging by the facts, there is no reason why the dreamcan’t come true.

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Annex II

List of selected projects

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Support to Practical Training of Small Farmers At theTCP/BGD/6702 1977 1979 119 187

Tajhat Agricultural Extension Training Institute

Strengthening Plant Quarantine Services TCP/BGD/6703 1978 1978 135 000

Freshwater Aquaculture Training TCP/BGD/6704 1978 1978 250 000

Training Assistance (Agricultural Credit) to theTCP/BGD/8801 1978 1980 180 000

Bangladesh Krishi Bank

Mango Orchard Treatment TCP/BGD/7904 1979 1979 75 700

Mango Orchard Treatment TCP/BGD/7903 1979 1979 150 000

Emergency Supply of Wheat Seed TCP/BGD/8906 1979 1979 150 000

Emergency Supply of Wheat Seed TCP/BGD/8907 1979 1979 100 000

Supply of Tarpaulins for Storage TCP/BGD/8908 1979 1979 15 000

Feasibility Study for Setting Up of a Food Corporation TCP/BGD/8909 1979 1979 100 000

Training Field Supervisors in Construction Techniques TCP/BGD/8905 1980 1980 120 000

Support to Pratical Training of Small Farmers At TajhatTCP/BGD/8914 1980 1981 216 000

Agricultural Extension Training Institute (Phase II)

Agricultural Extension System (Phase II) BGD/79/034/ /01/12 1980 1992 5 406 584

Fertilizer Demonstration BGD/80/002/ /01/12 1980 1994 1 903 393

Assistance in Temporary Storage TCP/BGD/0004 1980 1981 140 500

Emergency Assistance Rice Hispa Control TCP/BGD/0107 1982 1982 250 000

Bangladesh - Fisheries Advisory Services BGD/81/034/ /01/12 1982 1989 2 153 448

Accelerated Pulses Improvement Programme TCP/BGD/2202 1982 1984 83 025

Demonstration and Training in Water Lifting DevicesTCP/BGD/2204 1982 1983 25 593

Installation and Operation for Crop Production

Zinc and Sulphur Deficiency TCP/BGD/2203 1983 1985 78 539

Bangladesh - Strengthening of the National Progr.BGD/80/025/ /01/12 1983 1991 3 396 124

in Marine Fisheries Research Mang. and Dev.

Freshwater Pearl Culture Demonstration TCP/BGD/2308 1984 1985 78 073

Sundarbans Forest Development Planning Mission TCP/BGD/2309 1984 1984 100 447

Assistance to the Second Agricultural Research Project BGD/83/010/ /01/12 1984 1992 559 314

Poultry Improvement BGD/82/003/ /01/12 1984 1990 2 445 766

Mango Development BGD/81/022/ /01/12 1984 1992 1 499 228

Agricultural Marketing and Price Policy Improvement TCP/BGD/4401 1984 1986 144 164

Procurement of Vegetable Seeds for AgricultureTCP/BGD/4404 1984 1985 60 426

Rehabilitation Programme

Forest Industries Development Corporation Study TCP/BGD/4403 1984 1984 51 303

Provision of Veterinary Supplies for Livestock inTCP/BGD/4405 1984 1985 101 424

Flooded Areas

Vegetable Dye Development (Women) TCP/BGD/4406 1985 1987 76 206

Soil Resources Development Institute BGD/81/023/ /01/12 1985 1992 1 002 569

24

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Cotton Improvement BGD/84/068/ /01/12 1985 1991 882 494

Community Forestry BGD/81/028/ /38/45 1985 1995 1 337 180

Training of Tree Planting Silvic and Agriculture BGD/84/046/ /01/12 1985 1990 132 892

Second Rural Development Programme BGD/83/007/ /01/12 1985 1993 1 228 709

Freshwater Pearl Culture-Aquaculture TCP/BGD/4508 1985 1986 90 672

Strengthening Inoculant Production-Fertilizers TCP/BGD/4509 1985 1987 65 857

Provision of FMD Vaccine TCP/BGD/4510 1985 1986 192 984

Improvement of Rural Marketing TCP/BGD/4511 1986 1987 156 011

Assistance in Developing New Markets for FreshTCP/BGD/4512 1986 1987 139 866

Andprocessedpotatoes

Agricultural Research BGD/83/010/ /01/12 1986 1992 1 096 212

Dairy Extension BGD/85/231/ /01/12 1986 1996 1 877 770

Fishing Quality Control BGD/85/063/ /01/12 1986 1991 90 671

Statistics Development BGD/82/024/ /01/12 1986 1990 354 153

Emergency Provision of Goat Pox Vaccine TCP/BGD/6651 1986 1987 145 919

Strengthening of National Vegetable Seed ProgrammeGCP/BGD/025/BEL 1987 1999 3 871 610

(Phase I and II)

Third Flood Control Project BGD/85/029/ /38/42 1987 1996 165 595

Strengthening in Fisheries Sector BGD/85/009/ /01/12 1987 1991 360 377

Coconut Production BGD/85/141/ /01/12 1987 1992 261 911

FAO/WFP Mission to Assess Loss and Damage Due toTCP/BGD/6754 1987 1987 34 332

Flooding and Propose Rehabilitation Measures

Supply for Vegetable Seeds for Post-Flood AgriculturalTCP/BGD/6755 1987 1988 203 913

Rehabilitation Programme

Rural Roads and Markets (Phase II) TCP/BGD/6760 1988 1988 122 000

Operational Efficiency of the Directorate General of Food GCPS/BGD/026/SWI 1988 1996 2 210 058

Upazila Afforestation BGD/84/054/ /38/45 1988 1995 2 415 892

Development of an Early Warning System (Phase I) GCPS/BGD/021/JPN 1988 1993 370 320

Re-Organization D.G. of Food and StrengtheningGCPS/BGD/024/SWI 1988 1993 2 173 393

Food Security

Assistance to the Small Farmers BGD/81/012/ /01/12 1988 1993 231 693

Education in the Forestry Sector BGD/85/011/ /01/12 1988 1994 2 641 756

Remote Sensing in Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry BGD/85/031/ /38/99 1988 1996 812 004

Duck Breeding Farm BGD/85/124/ /01/12 1988 1996 1 541 498

Fisheries Strengthening BGD/87/045/ /01/12 1988 1995 3 078 820

Cereals Production BGD/88/031/ /01/12 1988 1992 280 676

Forestry Sector (Phase II) BGD/85/085/ /01/12 1988 1995 2 548 457

Emergency Supply of Vaccines for Post-FloodTCP/BGD/8852 1988 1989 222 347

Livestock Rehabilitation

Emergency Supply Vegetable Seeds for Post-FloodTCP/BGD/7851 1988 1989 250 000

Agr. Rehab.

Fertilizer Demonstration and Distribution TCP/BGD/8853 1989 1990 266 000

Assistance in Food and Nutrition Planning TCP/BGD/8954 1989 1990 190 000

25

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Vegetable Seed Production (Phase I - III) GCP/BGD/022/DEN 1989 1997 1 726 747

Agricultural Research BGD/83/010/ /01/12 1989 1992 504 147

Emergency Supply of Goat Pox Vaccine TCP/BGD/9052 1990 1990 65 000

Development of Sundarbans Reserved Forest BGD/84/056/ /01/12 1990 1993 3 597 922

Assisting Transformation to Irrigated Agriculture BGD/89/039/ /01/12 1991 1994 1 855 636

Promotion of Tissue Culture Technology TCP/BGD/0051 1991 1993 364 000

Horticulture Research and Development BGD/87/025/ /38/45 1991 1997 3 681 866

Mango Improvement and Development ProjectBGD/89/044/ /01/12 1991 1993 699 128

(Phase II)

Emergency Assistance for Agricultural RehabilitationTCP/BGD/0154 1991 1991 300 000

in Cyclone Affected Areas

Emergency Support to the Livestock Sector FollowingTCP/BGD/0155 1991 1991 305 000

the Cyclone

Rehabilitation of Cyclone and Tidal Bore AffectedTCP/BGD/0156 1991 1992 245 000

Artisanal Fishermen

Forestry Master Plan BGD/88/025/ /38/45 1991 1992 347 985

Assistance to Livestock Research Institute BGD/89/013/ /01/12 1991 1993 344 657

Fisheries Development BGD/92/01T/ /08/12 1992 1993 135 525

Assistance to Fisheries Research Institute BGD/89/012/ /01/12 1992 1994 734 015

Follow-up to Agricultural Sector Review BGD/92/02T/ /08/12 1992 1993 163 481

Strengthening of the National Vegetable SeedGCP/BGD/028/DEN 1994 1998 1 753 984

Programme

Support for Development of National Action BGD/94/01T/ /08/12 1994 1995 155 000

Strengthening Rural Pond Fish Culture ExtensionTCP/BGD/4451 1994 1996 246 200

Services

Establishment of Agricultural Research ManagementTCP/BGD/4452 1994 1996 232 000

Procedures

Agro-Ecological Zones BGD/95/006/ /01/99 1995 2002 1 399 510

Thana Cereal Technology Transfer and Identification BGD/89/045/ /01/12 1995 2002 4 415 896

Thana Cereal Technology Transfer and IdentificationBGD/89/045/ /09/12 1995 2001 49 400

Project

Integrated Pest Management (TSS2) BGD/95/003/ /09/12 1995 2001 81 504

Agro-Ecological Zones (TSS2) BGD/95/006/ /09/12 1995 2001 87 501

Emergency Supply of Vegetable Seeds TCP/BGD/4554 1995 1996 178 000

Support to Master Plan for the Forestry Sector TCP/BGD/4553 1996 1997 273 000

Praoaration of Haccp-Based Fish Quality Assurance TCP/BGD/4555 1996 1998 136 000

Sustainable Food Security in Bangladesh (TSS1) BGD/96/02T/ /08/12 1996 1997 114 000

Integrated Pest Management BGD/95/003/ /01/99 1996 2001 986 640

Emergency Assistance to Tornado-Affected Families TCP/BGD/6611 1996 1997 139 000

Horticulture Research and Development - TSS2 BGD/87/025/ /09/12 1996 1997 52 050

Strengthening of Support Services in IrrigatedTCP/BGD/6612 1997 1999 220 000

Agriculture

Development and Use of Hybrid Rice TCP/BGD/6613 1997 1999 191 222

26

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Empowerment of Coastal Fishing Communities BGD/97/027/ /08/12 1997 1998 31 978

Improvement of Household Food Security Throughthe Promotion of Community Based Self-Help Farmers MTF/BGD/001/JFA 1997 2000 81 628Groups

Disease Prevention and Health Management inTCP/BGD/6714 1997 1999 297 747

Coastal Shrimp Culture

SPFM Bangladesh SPFM/BGD/6701 1997 1999 41 980

National Plan of Action on Nutrition BGD/98/002/ /08/12 1998 1999 83 933

Consequences of the Uruguay Agreements forBGD/98/008/ /08/12 1998 1999 108 000

Bangladesh

Continued Support to the Master Plan for DevelopingTCP/BGD/7821 1998 1998 75 461

Theforestry Sector (Phase II Bgd/4553)

Preparation of a Haccp-Based Fish Quality AssuranceTCP/BGD/8822 1998 1998 33 000

Programme (Phase II BGD/4555)

Preparation of a Haccp-Based Fish Quality AssuranceTCP/BGD/7822 1998 1999 33 000

Programme (Phase II)

Northwest Region Integrated AgriculturalTCP/BGD/7823 1998 1998 164 000

Development Project

Preparation of the Pilot Phase for LaunchingTCP/BGD/8824 1998 1998 33 000

Watercomponent of SPFS

Emergency Supply of Agricultural Inputs toOSRO/BGD/801/OPF 1998 1999 194 099

Flood-Affected, Marginal and Landless Farmers

Emergency Supply of Vegetable Seeds toTCP/BGD/7825 1998 1999 250 000

Flood-Affected Farmers

FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission BGD/91/029/ /01/99 1998 1999 86 000

Emergengy Supply of Veterinary Medecines andVaccines to Flood Affected Livestock Farmers TCP/BGD/8826 1998 1999 400 000in Bangladesh

Emergency Supply of Veterinary Medicines andTCP/BGD/7826 1998 1999 400 000

Vaccines to Flood Affected Farmers in Bangladesh

Assessment of Flood Damages in Fisheries andTCP/BGD/7827 1998 1999 104 966

Livestock Sectors

Preparation of a Pilot Phase for Launching WaterTCP/BGD/7824 1998 1998 33 000

Control Component of SPFS (Advance Allocation)

Smallholder Livestock and Dairy Development BGD/98/001/ /09/12 1999 2002 160 257

On-Farm Water Management Pilot Programme inTCP/BGD/8928 1999 2000 257 648

Support of the Special Programme for Food Security

Community Livestock and Dairy Development BGD/98/009/ /01/72 1999 2005 1 123 442

SPFP Bangladesh SPFP/BGD/8901 1999 2002 206 150

Crop Yield Forecasting and Agrometeorology UTF/BGD/029/BGD 2000 2003 454 500

Soil Testing and Fertility Management Project UTF/BGD/030/BGD 2000 2003 437 000

Seed Quality Control. BGD/99/006/ /08/12 2000 2000 81 000

Affects of Arsenic Contaminated Water onBGD/99/009/ /08/12 2000 2002 167 453

Crop Production

27

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Empowerment of Coastal Fishing Communities ForBGD/97/017/ /09/12 2000 2003 95 000

Livelihood Security

Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development BGD/97/041/ /09/12 2000 2003 100 522

Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development BGD/97/041/ /01/99 2000 2006 3 793 556

Emergency Supply of Agricultural Inputs toTCP/BGD/0066 2000 2001 -8 470

Floodaffected Farmers in Bangladesh

Emergency Supply of Agricultural Inputs toFloodaffected Farmers in Bangladesh (Recoded from TCP/BGD/9066 2000 2001 290 302TCP/BGD/0066)

Empowerment of Coastal Fishing Communities forBGD/97/017/ /01/99 2001 2007 4 883 356

Livelihood Security

Developing Plan of Action for Implementation of theBGD/00/006/ /08/12 2001 2003 146 000

National Agriculture Policy

On-Farm Water Management Pilot Programme inTCP/BGD/0167 2001 2001 77 346

Support of the SPFS (Phase II)

Technical Assessment for the Development ofAgriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Sectors in the BGD/99/007/ /08/12 2001 2003 178 000Chittagong Hill Tracts

Emergency Control of PPR Epidemic TCP/BGD/0168 2001 2003 400 000

Overseas Training for Sunderbans Reserved ForestUTF/BGD/032/BGD 2001 2005 778 225

Project

Agricultural Market Information Improvement TCP/BGD/0065 2002 2003 256 500

Special Programme for Food Security in Bangladesh GCSP/BGD/033/JPN 2002 2008 3 296 075

Assessment of utilization and potential ofbio-technological advancement for agricultural BGD/02/005/ /08/12 2002 2003 228 000development

Strengthening Food Control in Bangladesh TCP/BGD/2901 2003 2005 294 715

Intensification of Sustainable Production of WheatTCP/BGD/2902 2003 2005 300 752

and Rice-Wheat Systems

Training Programme for the Small-scale Dairy SectorTCP/BGD/2903 2004 2005 358 330

(Recoded from TCP/BGD/2903)

Strengthening Disaster Preparedness in theTCP/BGD/2904 2004 2005 322 413

Agricultural Sector

Strengthening Capacity to Generate QualityTCP/BGD/3001 2004 2007 324 766

Information on Forest Resources

Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme(CDMP): FAO Component: Sustainable Livelihood BGD/01/004/ /01/99 2004 2010 900 000Adaptation

Emergency Supply of Seeds and Fertilizers to FloodOSRO/BGD/401/NOR 2004 2005 289 456

Affected Farmers in Bangladesh

Emergency supply of rice seeds and fertilizers to floodOSRO/BGD/402/SWE 2004 2005 700 890

affected farmers in Bangladesh

28

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Sustainable Livelihood Development of Urban Poorthrough Improved Management of Urban and BGD/98/006/ /01/99 2005 2007 430 155Peri-urban Agricultural Micro-enterprises

National Food Policy Capacity StrengtheningGCP/BGD/034/MUL 2005 2010 6 953 944

Programme

Local Level Capacity Building for Disaster RiskManagement in Agriculture (LDRRF, Compoent 3c BGD/01/004/ / 01/31 2006 2007 93 879of the CDMP): Inter-agency Agreement number 26001

Emergency control of the spread of Post-flood Footand Mouth Disease in Bangladesh through Strategic OSRO/BGD/701/CHA 2007 2007 337 256Vaccination

TCP Facility TCP/BGD/3103 2007 2008 121 162

Emergency agricultural response to cyclone-affectedOSRO/BGD/702/CHA 2007 2008 1 000 000

farmers and fishing communities

Emergency response to cyclone Sidr affected farmersand fishers in the worst affected districts of South-West OSRO/BGD/703/BEL 2007 2008 2 000 000Bangladesh

Emergency Response and Early Recovery for flood-OSRO/BGD/704/SWI 2007 2009 2 243 919

and cyclone-affected farmers in Bangladesh

Developing a national shrimp seed certification system TCP/BGD/3101 2008 2009 391 348

Assistance in the formulation of enabling regulatorymeasures for research and sustainable application TCP/BGD/3102 2008 2009 330 000of biotechnology

Strengthening Capacity to Generate Quality InformationTCP/BGD/3104 2008 2008 26 690

on Forest Resource – Phase II of TCP/BGD/3001

Emergency response to Cyclone Sidr and Flood affectedfarmers through agricultural input supply and BGD/08/001/ /01/34 2008 2009 1 800 000Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccination for livestock

TCP Facility TCP/BGD/3201 2008 2011 298 518

Input supply to vulnerable populations under ISFPTCP/BGD/3202 2008 2009 500 000

(Recoded from Entity no. 605708)

Emergency Restoration of Livelihoods of ImpoverishedHouseholds Living on Embankments and Affected OSRO/BGD/801/SPA 2008 2009 2 089 136by Cyclone Sidr.

Emergency Recovery of the Agriculture Sector andRehabilitation of Livelihoods in Areas of Bagerhat OSRO/BGD/802/SWI 2008 2009 493 776District Severely Affected by Cyclone Sidr

National Food Policy Capacity StrengtheningProgramme (NFPCSP) USA – GCP/BGD/037/MUL 2009 2012 5 082 460(Phase II of GCP/BGD/034/MUL)

National Food Policy Capacity StrengtheningProgramme (NFPCSP) EC – (Phase II of GCP/BGD/034/ GCP/BGD/037/MUL 2009 2012 5 307 227MUL)

Improving food safety, quality, hygiene and foodGCP/BGD/038/EC 2009 2010 9 207 536

control in Bangladesh

29

Title Symbol EOD NTE Budget ($)

Assistance in the data processing and analysis ofTCP/BGD/3203 2009 2011 165 000

the Bangladesh census of agriculture

Emergency safety net for vulnerable groups affectedby high food prices and natural disasters in Bangladesh OSRO/BGD/901/WFP 2009 2010 500 000– homestead gardening.

Emergency Provision of Agricultural Inputs to CycloneTCP/BGD/3204 2009 2010 490 000

Aila Affected Farmers in Southwestern Bangladesh

Immediate technical assistance to strengthenemergency preparedness for Highly PathogenicAvian Influenza (HPAI), including active surveillance – OSRO/BGD/902/USA 2009 2011 5 332 800Strengthening emergency preparedness and Responsefor HPAI – (Grant number GHA-G-00-06-00001)

Enhancing rural communication services for agriculturalTCP/BGD/3205 2010 2011 457 500

development through community rural radio

Protecting and Promoting Food Security and NutritionUNJP/BGD/042/SPA 2010 2013 2 289 498

for Families and Children in Bangladesh (MDGF-1994)

Support to assist landless, marginal and small farmersto overcome soaring input and food prices in GCP/BGD/043/EC 2010 2011 8 981 063impoverished areas of Bangladesh

Emergency Cyclone Recovery and Restoration ProjectUTF/BGD/040/BGD 2010 2013 16 000 000

(ECRRP)

Developing a National Shrimp Seed CertificationTCP/BGD/3206 2010 2010 25 530

System in Bangladesh – Phase II of TCP/BGD/3101

Bangladesh Avian Influenza preparedness andUTF/BGD/036/BGD 2010 2012 1 082 167

Response project

TCP Facility TCP/BGD/3301 2010 2011 162 226

Food Security through enhanced agriculturalproduction diversified sources of income, GTFS/BGD/041/ITA 2010 2014 2 954 210value addition and marketing in Bangladesh

Restoration of the Livelihood of 1 000 Women SeverelyOSRO/BGD/002/SWI 2010 2011 200 000

Affected by Cyclone Aila in Southwestern Bangladesh

Immediate Assistance to Restore the Livelihoodsof Women and Fish Farmers Severely Affected OSRO/BGD/001/SPA 2010 2011 855 052by Cyclones in Southwestern Bangladesh

FAO Representation in BangladeshFAO Representative: (vacant)Dhanmondi Residential Area Mailing address: P.O. Box 5039 (New Market), 1205 DhakaRoad No. 8, House No. 37 Tel: (+880-2) 811 8015 Ext. 212Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh Fax: (+880-2) 811 3446

E-mail: [email protected]